Home / Sports / Ruturaj Gaikwad's Ton Steers India A to Narrow Win Over South Africa A
Ruturaj Gaikwad's Ton Steers India A to Narrow Win Over South Africa A
13 Nov
Summary
- Ruturaj Gaikwad's composed century leads India A's successful chase
- South Africa A recover from early collapse to post 285/9
- India A win by 4 wickets with 3 balls to spare
In the first unofficial ODI played on November 10, 2025, India A secured a thrilling 4-wicket win over South Africa A in Rajkot. Chasing a target of 286, India A were led by a composed century from Ruturaj Gaikwad, who scored 117 off 129 balls to anchor the successful run chase.
Earlier, South Africa A had posted 285/9 in their 50 overs, recovering impressively from a top-order collapse. Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh had struck early to reduce the visitors to 53/5, but a fighting 77 from Dian Forrester, a 90 from Delano Potgieter, and a 59 from Bjorn Fortuin helped South Africa A post a competitive total.
In response, India A made a positive start through Gaikwad and Abhishek Sharma's 64-run opening stand. Abhishek's quickfire 31 provided early momentum, but the dismissals of Riyan Parag and captain Tilak Varma briefly stalled the progress. However, Nitish Kumar Reddy's counter-attacking 37 and Nishant Sindhu's unbeaten 29 ensured a smooth finish for India A, who sealed the win with 3 balls to spare.
Despite losing Gaikwad and Ishan Kishan towards the end, India A maintained control of the chase to take a 1-0 lead in the 3-match series. The two teams will meet again in the second unofficial ODI on November 12, 2025.
